Apollo 8 running 8 seconds fast per minute

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bruin20

·Nov 24, 2019

Hadn't worn my apollo 8 in a couple days and decided to wind it up and wear it for the day. Usually keeps about +1 seconds per day but is now suddenly running +8 seconds per minute.

How easy is it to magnetize or tangle the hairspring in the 1869 movement? I know it's not a METAS movement but still. When I hold it up to my ear it doesn't sound anything like my 1861 movement speedmaster moonwatch that runs about +3 seconds per day. 1861 has a solid and slow tick and tock but the 1869 just makes a fast tick and almost no tock sound.

Is this something I need to take to the boutique and have sent to back to Switzerland? Live in the USA and really don't want to spend several weeks without this watch when I just picked it up a few weeks ago.

 

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lustrousaurus

·Nov 24, 2019

It's quite possible for the onsite technician to time and regulate it. I don't think the movement should sound any different since there is nothing mechanically different, just the decoration on the movement.

 

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Canuck

·Nov 24, 2019

You don’t “regulate” for a gain of 8 seconds in one minute. At the very least, it is a tangled hairspring, the result of a bump. Or worse! Oil on the hairspring. You need to have it checked out.

 

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Evitzee

·Nov 24, 2019

You might want to take a peek at the hairspring through a loupe to see if you see a tangle, or a fleck of oil causing two of the spring loops to stick together. Either way it will need to be looked at because even if it fixes itself now it will probably happen again. Will be taken care of under warranty assuming you bought it through authorized channels.

 

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enjoythemusic

·Nov 24, 2019

Another vote for hairsping. Too fast per for being magnetized.

 

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bruin20

·Nov 24, 2019

Haven’t bumped or dropped it. Only force I can think of that is exerted on it is when I walk my dog and he suddenly pulls the leash when he sees another dog. Maybe it’s time to stop using my off hand to hold the leash when walking him.

 

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Evitzee

·Nov 24, 2019

B bruin20

Haven’t bumped or dropped it. Only force I can think of that is exerted on it is when I walk my dog and he suddenly pulls the leash when he sees another dog. Maybe it’s time to stop using my off hand to hold the leash when walking him.

It doesn't need a bump or a shock, if oil gets on the hairspring it can cause two adjacent coils to stick together, effectively shortening the length of the hairspring, causing it to run massively fast.

 

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bruin20

·Nov 24, 2019

Next question. I live in So Cal and have the Culver City service center nearby as well as a Feldmar which is an authorized service center.

Should I take it to the Omega official service center in Culver City or will they just have to send it somewhere else?

Would an independent authorized service center like Feldmar be able to just unhook or clean the hairspring on the spot or is Omega like Rolex where you have to handle all warranty work in a certain way?

 

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rainking

·Nov 24, 2019

B bruin20

Next question. I live in So Cal and have the Culver City service center nearby as well as a Feldmar which is an authorized service center.

Should I take it to the Omega official service center in Culver City or will they just have to send it somewhere else?

Would an independent authorized service center like Feldmar be able to just unhook or clean the hairspring on the spot or is Omega like Rolex where you have to handle all warranty work in a certain way?

I’ve had two Omegas serviced at Culver as I live nearby. They’ll fix it. It’ll take a month or more, though.

 

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bruin20

·Nov 24, 2019

rainking

I’ve had two Omegas serviced at Culver as I live nearby. They’ll fix it. It’ll take a month or more, though.

That's what I'm trying to avoid. Ever had any experience with Feldmar? I've purchased a few watches from them but never serviced anything there.

 

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Evitzee

·Nov 24, 2019

You aren't going to get it fixed 'on the spot'. Problems like this require a thorough analysis of what the problem is, and then the issue addressed. A tangled or oily hairspring is not a five or ten minute fix.

I

Edited: Nov 25, 2019

 

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rainking

·Nov 24, 2019

B bruin20

That's what I'm trying to avoid. Ever had any experience with Feldmar? I've purchased a few watches from them but never serviced anything there.

No. It doesn’t matter though, service center waits are always at least 5-6 weeks or more. Like said above, you aren’t getting this fixed quickly. Unless you find an independent who can do it.

 

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Canuck

·Nov 24, 2019

Hard for us to tell you where to take it. If it is new with a factory warrantee, then take it to an AD and have them send it to Omega. If it is new to you, but with a warranty from a non-authorized dealer, and with some kind of warranty, have them attend to it. If you have no warrantee, then you are pretty much on your own. Either an AD or a competent watch repair shop. Don’t expect the examination, diagnosis, and repair to be done while you wait,

 

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Foo2rama

·Nov 24, 2019·Nowhere near as grumpy as he used to be...

B bruin20

Next question. I live in So Cal and have the Culver City service center nearby as well as a Feldmar which is an authorized service center.

Should I take it to the Omega official service center in Culver City or will they just have to send it somewhere else?

Would an independent authorized service center like Feldmar be able to just unhook or clean the hairspring on the spot or is Omega like Rolex where you have to handle all warranty work in a certain way?

where in SoCal? Just go to the OC or LA boutique. The OC one is at South Coast Plaza. Nice guys there.

 

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Caliber561

·Nov 25, 2019

Foo2rama

where in SoCal? Just go to the OC or LA boutique. The OC one is at South Coast Plaza. Nice guys there.

Agreed!👍

 

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Archer

·Nov 25, 2019·Omega Qualified Watchmaker

Foo2rama

where in SoCal? Just go to the OC or LA boutique. The OC one is at South Coast Plaza. Nice guys there.

If either of those have a boutique watchmaker (not a boutique technician - very big difference) then they would likely be able to fix a tangled balance spring. But the first thing I would do is demagnetize the watch...it does not require opening the case, and may solve the problem outright.

Cheers, Al

 

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bruin20

·Nov 25, 2019

Managed to resolve it. Used my loupe and noticed that the hairspring looked tangled and wasn’t ticking like normal.

Gave it a hard shake thinking it had to go in for a service anyway so what’d I have to lose. Gained 1 second today while sitting dial up after a full wind. Hairspring is ticking normal again.

 

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larryganz

·Nov 25, 2019

Canuck

You don’t “regulate” for a gain of 8 seconds in one minute. At the very least, it is a tangled hairspring, the result of a bump. Or worse! Oil on the hairspring. You need to have it checked out.

Oil on the hairspring is what caused my GMT II coke to speed up like that, and my watchmaker had it fixed in a day.

 

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Evitzee

·Nov 26, 2019

B bruin20

Managed to resolve it. Used my loupe and noticed that the hairspring looked tangled and wasn’t ticking like normal.

Gave it a hard shake thinking it had to go in for a service anyway so what’d I have to lose. Gained 1 second today while sitting dial up after a full wind. Hairspring is ticking normal again.

Glad you resolved it, if it happens again I would be having it looked at rather than giving it a hard shake which isn't good for babies or watches.

 

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Canuck

·Nov 26, 2019

B bruin20

Managed to resolve it. Used my loupe and noticed that the hairspring looked tangled and wasn’t ticking like normal.

Gave it a hard shake thinking it had to go in for a service anyway so what’d I have to lose. Gained 1 second today while sitting dial up after a full wind. Hairspring is ticking normal again.

Earlier in this thread, you indicated that the watch had not been “bumped”, or dropped. This sort of problem is always the result of a shock of some sort. Your are not out of the woods yet. Now that you have had the case back off, what measures will you undertake to be certain is properly sealed?